Potential Theft

[Dan28]

Hey all. I hosted a couple this past weekend and noticed a very expensive food item missing from my refrigerator upon my return. I'm a chef and I'm meticulous about items like this. However, the guests are both engineers that work at Apple (they can afford to buy things like this) and seemed super pleasant via text message. I contacted them and they said they didn't see it. However they were in the drawer that this item was in, as I'd noticed other items that were in that drawer were taken out and moved. So, I'm conflicted! Do I report this? It was about 2 pounds of Iberico Ham which sells for on average - $120 per pound. :(. Comments welcomed! 

[Roger17]

Hi Dan - this is a tough one.  Is there any possibility that maintenance or pest control folks, or anyone else for that matter may have come in?  If not then the answer seems obvious and I would report it to Airbnb.  That's too expensive to ignore.  Best of luck with a resolution,  Roger

[Dan28]

Hey Roger, 

Thanks for the response. No one would have had access to my place at all during their stay, so unless it vanished into thin air, it does seem like there's only one choice. 

[David126]

Nothing much you can do, not likely the Police will be interested.

[Dan28]

No, nor would I want to involve the police. I was hoping Airbnb might have a creative way of making this right. 

[Fred13]

No. I believe the world is slightly too busy to deal with the theft of 2lbs of ham. Sorry.

[Dan28]

Fred, I'm a chef and I make a living at if. It's also a delicacy and worth $230. If you don't have anything positive or useful to say, keep quiet. This is a "community", and your comment isn't part of what a community like this is intended for.

[Helen3]

Dan

What 'creative way of dealing with it' do you think would be possible?

You have confronted your guests. They have denied it.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what you think can be done in these circumstances?

Going forward if you want to keep expensive items like this in the home you are renting out, could you have a lockable fridge elsewhere on the premises?

[Maria-Lurdes0]

Hi @Dan28  I am sorry that you are having to deal with this.  I know full well the price of this delicacy as I've had sticker shock after ordering it before.

I'm a host with 6+ years of experience and this is what I would do - I would take the loss.   It's a lousy situation, but if you didn't have the item more securely put away (of course I realize you wouldn't put it in a safe) or if you hadn't left prior instructions for the guest on what was/was not available to them, the guest could have easily assumed it was available to them to use, just as an open jar of sundried tomatoes might be.     Then when confronted they might have been absolutely mortified to discover they'd eaten something so precious, and rather than admit it, they denied it.   This is a different situation then someone breaking into a locked cabinet and taking something.

Honestly take it as a loss, and move on.  Luckily as a chef you'll have access to buy more and keep the receipt for the replacement and use it as a business expense on your tax return.

I've stupidly left a bottle of Grand Cru in my wine cabinet before and totally forgotten to take it out before guests arrived, and guess what?  The young French men that arrived were delighted to have it and even commented to me that it was so nice to find a selection of lovely wines.   A big "oh **bleep**" moment for me.

[Dan28]

Hi Maria. Excellent points and I feel you may just be right. :-/. Thank you for the thoughtful message. 

[Roger17]

Dan - I have a different thought on dealing with this.  These people came into your home and stole from you.  I would not ignore the situation.  If Airbnb is unable to do anything I would at least call it out somehow in their review.  As a future potential host of these folks, I would want to know.  Had it been an expensive ceramic the situation would seem totally different.  If by chance you gave them the impression that they could have any food in your home, then I agree, move on but I suspect that is not the case.  So they are thiefs and of course they would deny it.  Airbnb will most likely censor your review calling something like this out so you will have to be creative.  At the very least I would use the section that Airbnb gives us to tell them something privately about our guests and personally, I believe they should be banned from using Airbnb.   I think it's only right that you warn future hosts somehow.  As a society and as a community, we can not ignore  thiefs.  Best regards, Roger

[Dan28]

Hey Roger,

Thanks for the note. I may just do this. Thank you again for the thoughtfulness. 

[Fab2]

Aloha Dan,

I recently went through "food theft" but nothing as pricey as what you need for your own work. Still, we pay a lot of money for mainly organic items/produce so it still pissed off enough to start planning accordingly. The last suggestion is best but if you can also fit a dorm fridge in you guest room, I'd consider doing so going forward so they know to not even touch yours. Even better if you can block access to your fridge by securing it or using said-dorm fridge in your locked up bedroom/office space/garage for pricey items you don't want others to have access to. 

It blows my mind that it has to come to this but alas. Best of luck to you!